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‘sopiny outeyg jeordAy jo dnolp Vv Copy of this book will be sent to any address upon receipt A Big Game 2 id sane Han and F ishing GUIDE TO North-Eastern Maine. wt ISSUED BY THE Bangor & Aroostook R.R. A consensus of experience and opinions of many sportsmen, written, arranged and illustrated BY JAMES CHURCHWARD. fi wt F, WV. CRAM, GEO. M. HOUGHTON, Vice-President and Gen’! Mer. Gen’l Pass’r and ‘Ticket Agent. BANGOR, MAINE, 1898. wy COPYRIGHTED 1808, BY GEO. M. HOUGHTON, Gc. Pp. & T. A. 353893 ENGRAVED AND PRINTED BY R. A. SUPPLY COMPANY, BOSTON, 284 INTRODUCTION. & ee - HERE comes a time to the business man when he can no longer stand the strain and heat of city life ; when in fancy he sees the rippling waves on lakes and streams, and hears the voices of the forest where nature is as wild and primitive as the aboriginal names of her leaf-fringed waters. To those who are anxiously puzzling their brains where to go to spend a few days hunting or fishing, this little book is, we trust, appropriately dedicated. ‘To those who have visited the places it describes, no intro- duction is needed. It will remind them of “ happy days gone by.” In compiling this work, we have striven to supply the hunter and fish- erman with all the information necessary to ensure a pleasant and suc- cessful trip, and we have tried to omit no detail, either as regards grounds or sporting outfit. The fame of the hunting and fishing in Maine ts known to all readers of sporting literature ; but the grounds are so large and numerous that it becomes simply an impossibility, in our limited space, to do justice to even a small portion of those reached by the B. & A. alone. The State of Maine is a very large territory, and with the vast number of lakes, ponds and streams, all comers can be accommodated without any crowd- ing ; in fact, it is doubtful whether the crack of a rifle is heard, or a line wet in one half of the waters of Maine from year’s end to year’s end. The principal game fish in the Maine waters are salmon, land-locked salmon or ouananiche, speckled or square-tailed trout, and togue or great lake trout. We devote a chapter to the game fish of Maine, where found, and how to catch them, with suggestions on tackle, etc. The salmon of the Penobscot, Aroostook and tributary waters are magnificent fighters, and compare favorably in this respect with their brethren in any part of the world ; and remind the writer more of the sturdy Norwegian fish than of any others. They are especially strong and lively during the latter part of May and beginning of June. Next to the salmon comes his little cousin, the ouananiche. Pound for pound these are the liveliest and hardest fighters that swim in water, 5 6 or that test the skill and tackle of the fisherman. ‘They are no slouches in the way they take hold, nor are they slow to answer the challenge of the fisherman to a contest. They appear always ready to snap a line or smash a rod for the fisherman, making him feel, after a day’s acquaint- ance with them, that he has yet much to learn in the gentle art of ang- ling. There is no need to take a long, exhausting journey to Canada for them, and ten hours from Boston will bring you to excellent waters for them on the B. & A. From the ouananiche we pass on to that beauti- ful and dainty little favorite, the speckled trout, commonly known in Maine as the “‘ square-tail,” by which name we shall hereafter designate it in this work. The name square-tail is given to it to distinguish it from the great lake trout or togue, which has a “V”’ shaped tail. Nowhere in the world are the speckled trout so numerous and large as in the waters of Maine, and especially in the new country opened up by the B. & A. It is doubtful whether a fish has ever been taken out of many of the ponds and streams lying a little distance back from the road ; the country today is in its primitive state. Most fishermen know the game and pluck of the speckled trout, and those who do not, as far as fishing is concerned, have missed half their life, and the sooner they come to Maine and get an introduction, the sooner they will be able to appreciate the great gifts nature has provided for them in the way of sport. We will note one more fish, the namacush, great lake trout or togue. This fish is very abundant in many of the waters along the lineof the B.& A., and in many of the lakes run to a great size, specimens exceeding thirty pounds being occasionally brought in. In addition to the fish mentioned, others less gamey or desirable are to be found in vast quantities in the larger lakes, such as the pickerel, bass and perch families. a hunting ground for big game, Maine has no rival ; nor is it necessary to take a long journey to arrive at this Mecca of the hunter, ten hours from Boston bringing you into the heart of the wilderness. It would not adequately convey to the minds of the reader a full sense of the state of things by say- ing that moose, caribou and deer are abundant. Maine, and especially the regions around the B. & A., is the “ stamping- ground” of these mighty antlered monarchs. Owing to the better protection of moose in Maine than in Canada, it has been observed and ascertained that, during the last few years, the moose have been gradu- ally, but surely, leaving the forests and feeding grounds of Canada and migrating below to those of Maine. The moose working down from Canada are stopped by the Churchill, Eagle, Chamberlain, Chesuncook ‘J2AI9A UT SUIOH YA 190 8 and Moosehead lakes from following a southwesterly direction, as these waters are larger then they ordinarily care to swim ; they are thus natur- ally turned, and the bulk of them strike the West Branch of the Penob- scot, the country surrounding which is first-class feeding grounds, being plentifully supplied with moosewood and dead-waters, with hard wood ridges where they can make their yards. Dead-waters are always favorite feeding grounds, lily-pads being one of their special tid-bits. ‘“rhrough- out this region they are constantly on the move, but sooner or later are sure to return to their first feeding grounds on the West Branch. During the winter, instead of returning north again to enjoy the cooler shadows of the Canadian forests, they find it equally attractive to take advantage of the higher altitudes of Mount Katahdin and the adjoining mountain ranges, which will at all times be found full of moose and caribou yards. Therefore, the hunter can make no better start than from one of the stations on the line of the B. & A. Any sportsman must be a poor hand with his gun that cannot kill enough big game in Maine to satisfy his most ardent cravings. But this must not lead the reader to imagine that moose and caribou can be slaughtered at will; any sportsman will know that these animals do not stand around like barn-yard cattle, to be potted from a camp door by anyone who can hold a gun to his shoulder and pull the trigger. But even the greatest novice can obtain a deer with the aid of a guide, for the common deer are simply abundant, often herding with cattle in the fields. Sportsmen in Maine think no more of bagging a good buck, than others do of bringing a partridge or quail to the ground in less favored localities. Moose and caribou are abundant, but not in the same sense as deer. The better expression to use, so as not to mislead our readers, would be to say they are quite plentiful ; and, with an experienced guide, a good shot can surely get all the law allows him in a reasonable time. But let us advise our readers, when hunting moose, to keep the eye clear and the nerves well braced, and beware of a wounded animal. We have hunted tigers, elephants, buffalo and other big game in India, but nothing in our experience surpasses the ugliness and wickedness of a wounded bull-moose when he turns on you, which fortunately does not often happen, for, like most other large animals, they will try to get off, even when wounded. There are several ways of hunting the moose, and sporting literature is filled up with the fascinating mode of “ calling,’’— in fact, so much has been written about calling that a very large percentage of sportsmen think it is the only way of getting them, whereas we can conscientiously say that hardly one out of ten that are killed are brought within range of the sportsman’s rifle by calling. ‘They are more often ran across and killed whilst the hunter is covering their feeding grounds, and where 9 they are constantly passing and repassing, or, tracking them through the snow. ‘This statement we are sure will be borne out by any truthful guide ; it takes the sentiment out of the thing, but that cannot be helped. We are endeavoring to indulge in facts, not sentiment. Calling is certainly very fascinating, more so than any other way of hunting moose, as it brings the nerves and senses to a longer acute ten- sion. The guide, with the aid of a birch-bark horn, imitates the low or call of the caw. If a bull is within hearing distance, he will probably answer, and at once make straight for the point of call. Should he come boldly on, repeating his answer two or three times, the hunter can depend upon his being a large one; but if no answer is repeated, .and little or nothing is heard of his approach, the chances are it is a small one, feeling his way along in fear and trembling of finding a big, old veteran bull there, ready to dispute his little love affair. From the moment an answer is heard the nerves and senses of the hunter are strung to their utmost. With bated breath he listens! with keen eye he watches ! peering into the depths of the wood as he hears the animal crashing down the dead-wood with his ponderous body as he comes plunging on. At last! the gigantic form appears at an opening or at the water’s edge, made doubly imposing and dark by the pale rays of the moon. Now is the hunter’s time; let him grasp his rifle firmly, bring the butt squarely and tightly against the shoulder, hold the barrel as with a vice, cover a vital point with the sights, take careful aim as if it was the last cartridge in his rifle, and then compress the whole of the trigger hand until the hammer falls, and the deadly missile is speeding its way to the coveted prize. In addition to the game mentioned, the hunter will occasionally come across black bear, cougar, lynx, wolf and fox ; also partridge, quail and ducks everywhere. We have drawn selections suitable for this work from Audabon, Goode, Big Game of America, “ Recreation ” and G. O. Shields, and herewith beg to give them credit for the same. Our first step will be to briefly explain what sort of hunting and fish- ing will be found around or from the different stations along the line of the B. & A. J. C. "YOuUvIg 180M 94} uo AUR) Y CHAPTER I. What the Sportsman will find on the B. & A. ?AT game country has been opened up by the Bangor and Aroostook Railroad with its three hundred miles of steel rails, a country unequalled in the pursuit of big game; and it brings the fisherman to lakes, ponds and streams literally teeming and alive with the gamiest of game fishes, two or three sections out-rivalling the celebrated Rangeley Lakes, both as regards size and numbers. One of the finest square-tailed trout ever seen came from the Eagle Lake, and was shown at the Sportsman’s Exhibition, New York, 1897. Perfect in shape and handsome in coloring, it commanded an immense amount of admiration. Bangor to Milo Junction. HE country between Bangor and Oldtown, being given almost entirely to manufac- turing interests, offers little inducement to sport with rod and gun, so that we shall not consider them at further length, but turn our attention to regions beyond. From Oldtown to Milo Junction there is good stream fishing and small game shooting within a short distance of any of the stations. Guides may be procured by writing any of the station agents. The clearing of farms and cultivation of large tracts of country have sounded to quite an extent the death knell of all big game shooting. et